The Lone Howl
by sirewolf
Summary: A dark past that is his alone to bear. Will he find answers, or just more pain? Not wanting to be accepted, wandering but sometimes paths adjoin where you don't want them to


**Disclaimer:** Though White Wolf didn't invent werewolves this is in their mythos of werewolves and how they work. The Azlu belong to them but the chararcter is my creation (hope you like)

Claire leisurely walked out of the bar, the man's arm laid over her shoulder as he softly whispered into her ear.

She couldn't believe what she was doing. It wasn't like her to be so impulsive, but this man left her feeling dizzy; like he could say anything to her and she'd believe it. She could kill for him, how could it be wrong if it was for love?

Her mind snapped back to rational thought as the sweet flow of words halted for a moment. What was she thinking? Why was this man even with her? She was nothing special, average if anything. She could go to a bar and get the interest of some guys but she was not one of those beauties that everyone loped after. She was just the second choice; and she accepted that.

This man was different though. He walked straight to her and she was instantly brought under his charms. The rest of the night had been some kind of blur with his constant string of articulate wonder. She felt euphoric and drunk yet she'd only had a couple of glasses of wine. She noticed now that with the absence of his voice the only noise was the clicking of her high-heels, her company making noise to speak of despite his handsomely muscular physique.

Before she could question this more the words came again and she was swept under their spell, the world seeming to spin and become dim at the edges of her perception. The luminous streetlights hurt her eyes, producing their false light to mask the stars but the moon could not be shrouded. Though but a sliver in the night sky it was still discernible and provided Claire with the slightest of clarity so she could remember herself.

Her companion seemed to notice this and directed her stride towards a dark alley, keeping up his flow of seductive promises but there was definitely a change in tone. An almost acceleration as though it were coming to an end, as though any time now there would be no need for flattery.

He pushed her against the wall, pushed her arms to her sides and began to kiss her neck. It was a soft, delicate caress that isolated everything else from Claire's perception. She felt weak and not in control, she didn't like that feeling.

Suddenly, he stopped and moved back a little as if to survey his prize. Claire went to raise her arms, to try and regain some control over what was quickly escaping her. Her arms wouldn't budge from her sides; she looked down and saw something white and strandy about her wrists. She looked up and a malevolent grin spread over the man's face.

'You bastard!' She yelled at him, but it only came out as a whisper. Her mind felt heavy and she thought she could feel liquid running from where she'd been kissed moments ago. _The bastard! _She thought, _all night he's just been planning this! He's drugged me, tied me up and is now going to rape me!_

Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared into those eyes of purest green she'd once found so beautiful. The eyes then began to change. The slowly became darker, turning into two stones of purest jet. They pulsed, as though something moved within them, urging the body on. Slowly, two mandibles grew from his mouth. The sight of those chitinous appendages glinting in the little light pierced the alley filled Claire with horror.

The face leaned closer and Claire accepted the inevitability of death; her hourglass had run out of sand, she had just never expected it to be like this.

'Leave her Azlu scum! Try some challenging prey for once.' Called a voice from within the alley. Claire didn't know why but the mention of the name Azlu filled her with a primordial horror. She could feel back to the beginning of time and see the dread of it, even though she had no clue what it was. Instinct had always protected humans though so she knew that there must be a reason for this, one that she didn't want to know.

'Argh! Why can't you Uratha leave us to our business?' Came the reply from her attacker. This was no longer the smooth, charming voice it was before though. The voice was now higher and scratchy as though a thousand legs controlled each syllable. Her skin crawled as the words reached her, trying to escape the monstrosity before it and leave the body behind as a compromise. She couldn't explain it, but the mention of Uratha filled her with a well of sadness. Her soul could feel the tragedy that went along with the title and pitied those who carried such a burden. 'Are there not mortals to police here? Why do you insist on battling us when we're closer to you than these beasts?'

A tall figure strolled from the darkness, a long leather trench coat billowing in his wake. 'We are nothing alike!' The anger almost scorched the air it was so intense, 'on my hunt for you I have stopped many rapists and muggers, the scum of humanity. All that will pail in comparison to bringing you down finally! You are but a child of darkness, one that should have been destroyed by our Father millennia ago; I'm just here to finish the job.'

He strode confidently and purposefully into the little light in the alley. His face was rugged and scarred but etched with determination of the task at hand. There appeared to be nothing different about him but Claire could see a glint in his eyes, hinting at concealed power; power hungry to be released.

The Azlu ran at this stranger, obviously enraged by such an insolent interruption. The attack was misplaced though, that of a scared animal more than that of a man. The Uratha spun from the Azlu's wild arc effortlessly; a blur of movement highlighted the appearance of a sword from his cloak and a powerful stroke slashed across the Azlu's back.

An ear-piercing screech leapt from creature's lips. A screech that nothing natural should be able to produce. Claire looked in horror as several spiders scuttled out of the wound before it sealed itself shut with tendrils of what looked like web. The Azlu turned round slowly, the escaped spiders making there way to its face and pushing into his black eyes, a fickle smile spreading as it was rejoined by its brethren.

The creature doubled over in concentration. The air around it shimmered with as it drew invisible power towards it. The hairs on the back of Claire's neck stood on end with the electricity in the air; or was that the pure fear she felt in her heart? It was hard to distinguish what parts of her body were reacting to what, she just knew that this battle would decide her future or lack thereof. A cracking, warping sound pealed through the air; the sound of joints fusing and bone melding into new shapes. Skin ripped and where his hands had once been there were now two taloned claws perfectly adept for slicing through a car door, let alone the soft flesh of a human. But was her protector human? There was something about him and the way he'd addressed her attacker that suggested differently. He appeared knowledgeable in fields that a human mind couldn't even begin to comprehend; yet it appeared to have been recently acquired like when Eve bit into the forbidden fruit in Eden.

This new development definitely hadn't phased him, though. While Claire futilely attempted a scream only to find her vocal chords were seized closed by the drug he'd just looked on as though it was normal. More than that he entered into a defensive position, raising his sword to eye-level. He fixed a freezing glance onto his opponent then produced a mocking taunt with a hand, hoping to provoke a mistake that he could capitalise on.

The first attack had obviously just been a test to check this new arrival's skill though. This next one was much better approached and calculated, a well-aimed talon sweeping in for a decapitating swipe with unnatural speed. The Uratha was hard pressed to adapt his defence in time to parry. There was an echoing _clang_ as the two unyielding weapons struck each other mere inches from the talon's intended target.

The two combatants were locked together. Their arms shaked under the strain they put upon each other but neither could make any ground. They were obviously equally matched; this would come down to skill, or luck.

They stared into each other's eyes, waiting for a mistake to capitalise on, knowing what this was, a fight for survival; the survival of the fittest. The thought behind each one's eyes was plain to see, planning the next move to stop this stalemate. Behind the Uratha's icy, noble looking eyes could be seen cold, calculating logic, weighing up every possible course of action that he could take. The Azlu was the opposite of the spectrum. Fear could be seen in those obsidian spheres, approaching the problem fearfully, realising this wasn't as easy as it had suspected.

A swift boot to the leg brought the Azlu down to the ground, its fear occupying its mind so it didn't expect such a simple course of action. It crumbled to its knees, claws rising just in time to block the fast stroke of the sword.

Survival instinct finally kicked in. The Azlu raised its head and a cloud of venom erupted from its gaping jaws. The Uratha was clearly thrown off balance as he tried to regain his vision, providing the opportunity the Azlu needed to disarm him with a twist of its claws.

The blade collided with the alley wall and the Azlu continued to press its advantage, approaching its still recovering opponent. The Azlu had become overconfident though and the Uratha rose, aiming well placed fists at the its face. The force of the blows reverberated like a hammer hitting raw meat but the Azlu didn't register any pain and replied with a backhanded sweep which almost sent the Uratha straight onto his back.

Giving him no time to catch his breath the creature pounced onto its enemy, sending them both sprawling onto the ground. A furry of blows were exchanged between the pair, blood being sprayed across the floor (not looking promising for Claire's future), before the two rolled out and were instantly on there feet.

The Uratha looked exhausted and the Azlu, sensing the end was close, delivered an uppercut with all its strength that flung him into the air. Not waiting for him to land the beast followed him up, sticking to the wall and pinning the beaten Uratha against it.

Bonds flung from the creature's wrists, attaching the man to the wall with the strength of steal. The Azlu relaxed and admired his new prize.

'I had just hoped to find a new form tonight but you have given me a rare treat,' it scornfully mocked. 'It has been a long time since we tasted Uratha flesh.' It licked at a cut on his face, 'know that you shall make a most satisfactory feast, we may not have enough room for the mortal.'

The Uratha stared hatefully into the Azlu's eyes. 'You think that you are invincible but none of you have ever learnt the first rule of the hunt.' His arms suddenly ripped from the wall, pulling once secure bricks with them. He grabbed the sides of the Azlu's head, which screeched maniacally. 'Never underestimate your prey!'

He seemed to convulse slightly as Claire watched the two, stunned into silence, not noticing her bonds were dissolving and the poison's effects were wearing off. His eyes gleamed in the darkness; he seemed to become larger and more powerful, muscles bulging.

The Azlu suddenly stopped screeching as the Uratha twisted its head off like a child playing with a dandelion. The victor fell in a shower of spiders and reached into his coat quickly.

A bottle of whisky from within and he quickly took a swig, spraying it over the retreating horde of spiders with pre-planned efficiency. A lighter spark could be seen in the gloom and he caught this in his palm, it glowing ethereally in his grasp. He turned to the spiders, his back to Claire, and the fire burst from his palm into the mist of the clustered arachnids. There was a screech as their alcohol-covered bodies caught the flames and their lives were extinguished, a discouraging green mist hanging over the flames as the unnatural creatures were exterminated.

Claire recovered her senses and looked down to check for injuries. Luckily this stranger had come in the nick of time and she had no visible reminders of this night. A glimpse of movement by her feet caught her eye. A huge spider scuttled towards the end of the alleyway, trying to escape the fate of its brothers. Claire reached out her foot and a satisfying crunch and squelch filled her with the warm glow of revenge.

She turned to her rescuer who was surveying the flames still. 'T-thank you,' she stammered at him. What could she say after she saved her like that? And what did he save her from for that matter?

He didn't reply, still intently watching the fire. 'If you want anything the you only have to ask,' Claire told him, stepping closer.

Still no answer. She was right behind him now; she reached for his shoulder. 'It's the least I could…' She never finished the sentence. She'd turned him around and caught a glimpse of his face; his horrifying face. Covered in hair, pointed ears and nose, long canines adept at ripping flesh and eyes that glowed in the dim light, showing obvious disdain.

She fell backwards in fear. Had she been saved or was it just a fight over a meal? She was too terrified to scream. Jumping onto her feet she ran. She ran like she'd never ran before, straight out of the alley faster than she thought she was capable.

'That's right,' growled Devian as his wounds already knitted back together. 'Run. That's what they all do. That's what a monster like me deserves.' He tilted back his head and let out a long, mournful howl. The pack whose territory he was in wouldn't appreciate his presence there but he'd destroyed an enemy, yet there were many more to go.

A truck drove by the alley entrance and Devian was gone, the only evidence of his presence there being the withering flames and a slight tremor through the Shadow as the Azlu spirit fragments evaporated into nothingness.


End file.
